Steele'N a License
by SteeleHere44
Summary: Story 5. Laura Holt is trying to solve a case without her partner after 4 years together. Set after Season 4. Bonds of Steele never existed.
1. Chapter 1

STEELE'N A LICENSE

Disclaimer: Remington Steele and its characters is owned by MTM. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 1

The class was starting to get boring. It was always the same thing; the room almost in darkness, except for the light coming from the ceiling lamp. All the students piled up at the same place. A body on the autopsy table, surrounded by the most excellent pupils knowing every answer, even those not asked yet, an unpleasant smell invading everything. And a weird doctor playing professor was the last addition to the surreal situation. Or maybe it was a weird professor playing doctor; nobody cared about that.

Forensics wasn't the most enjoyable subject, but was impossible to avoid it. It was the last one until the thesis, and that was the last class. The topic of the day was 'human lethal intoxications', an interesting topic since the origin of mankind. A lot of wars and murders could have been avoided in history, if the knowledge of it would have been developed before. Since the Borgia Family to Romeo and Juliet, everything could have been less complicated. But what was history without those bitter performances in it? Just a retelling, and if there was one thing that he loved the most, it was the hidden story behind the crimes in history. There was always a connection between love, betrayal, passion, or power, and an art masterpiece disappearance. Just the mere thought of that helped him to survive until the end of the class. He remained just as far as he could from the autopsy table. He never understood what the attraction of forensics was.

He was thinking about that when he saw a woman slyly staring at him. She took her eyes off of him when she saw he was looking at her. He tried to return to his previous thoughts, but then he looked at her, and her eyes were again on him. He gave her a crocked smile, and she didn't allow herself to look at him again until the end of the class.

The torture was arriving to an end, with only ten minutes left, when the professor began his last round of questions to his pupils. Everyone asked was giving a correct answer. It was a monotonous sound.

"What do you think had been used to kill somebody, if the symptoms would have been nausea, drooling, vomiting, slow pulse, low blood pressure, diarrhea, seizures, coma, and death, and takes about six hours to begin," asked Professor O'Higgins.

"One of the options wouldbe rhododendrons and azaleas," said one of the students standing in front of the body.

"Good answer, Mr. Stewart. And what would it be if the symptoms were a gradual weakening of the muscles and intense pain as the muscles deteriorate and die. Though sight might be lost, the mind remains clear until death occurs. Symptoms begin in thirty minutes, though it takes several hours to die," asked the doctor. But this time nobody took the chance to answer. The man looked up through the pile of students. There was a man there that was always in silence. Why don't I give him a try, he thought. "You, the tall man besides Meyers," said the professor.

He hoped that the professor wasn't talking to him, and he just turned his head looking for someone tall, beside himself. But he was the tall one beside Meyers. The question was directed to him. With a gesture of doubt, trying to find some time to elaborate a convincing answer, he looked to both sides, to the woman standing beside him and said, "I suppose you are talking to me…"

"Yes sir, I am talking to you. Do you have an answer?"

The woman that was staring at him before, Caroline Meyers, was doing that again. But this time, seeing that he wasn't prepared to give a response, she took pity and whispered some kind of help. "Ahem, Sherlock…" she said almost trying to make a joke on him. Everybody near them, understanding the whole situation, endured a chuckle.

He looked at her, not knowing if it was a joke or the woman was being cynical. But then he caught the meaning of her words and said, "My infallible instincts tell me that with all the symptoms you described, professor, the victim should have been poisoned with hemlock," he stated.

"Very good, young man. Good answer. And your name is?" he asked.

With a slight and compelling smile, he answered, "Steele, sir, Remington Steele."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Miss Holt walked from her office to the reception area without taking off her eyes from a file. "Mildred, did Mr. Steele call?" asked an impatient Laura, taking a look at her watch. "He has been out all morning. I need him to put his signature on these contracts. When did you say he would be here?"

"He is at the morgue, Miss Holt. Today is his last day in forensics. He did it until the end!" answered the secretary with enthusiasm.

Laura looked at the secretary, and rehearsing a smile, she sat on Mildred's desk. "I can't believe he did it until the end. He is going to have his license at the end of the year. Who would have guessed he would do it?"

"And he seemed to enjoy the whole training. I didn't think it was going to be like that. He didn't seem like the kind of student to keep the things in order until the end of the year."

"Maybe he is enjoying being the real Remington Steele more than were expecting. He is fulfilling a schedule, going to his classes, and trying to help with paperwork. We can't deny he is showing a lot about the things that are becoming important for him with his actions," said a thoughtful Laura.

"Well, Miss Holt, I think he is trying to behave. At some point the day would come that this was going to happen. "

Laura gave Mildred a smiling silent look, and without saying a word she went to her office. Once there, she sat on her chair and spent a long time looking at a picture of them she kept on her desk, while thinking about the changes that were driving Mr. Steele directly to be the one she envisioned when she decided to start her game, four years ago. Who would have guessed that the fury she felt when she discovered that her fictional boss had acquired the capacity to talk and walk, was going to be turned into what she was feeling now. She had been trying to fight this feeling for a long time, but sensing that he was really changing, she allowed herself to let him get slowly into her soul. The sensation was incredible. He was a loving and generous man. She suspected he would be like that almost from the beginning, but she also suspected the risky hidden part of his soul was destined to be shadowing everything at the same time. She had not been able to trust on him until some months ago. They had a conversation during a case, in which both of them realized that trust was beginning to show shyly, and that it was turning slowly into a permanent feeling between them. That didn't make all her fears disappear as if by magic, but it helped a lot. Once he could feel himself in a secure harbor, some signs started to appear every time with more frequency. She was watching those signs, keeping some reservations about them. But as time passed, she wasn't feeling those reservations as often. They were growing up together. Time was starting to melt surrounding them, making the trip almost perfect.

Suddenly, some voices from his office brought her to reality. He was back. She took the contracts in her hands and went there to meet him.

Mr. Steele was placing his study materials on the desk when he felt her presence behind him. Turning around in a slow motion, he said, "Good afternoon Miss Holt! Nice to meet you here! I was thinking my late arrival was going to deprive myself of your adorable company today," he ended his salutations giving her a peck on her cheek.

It was certainly not the welcome she had in mind, but she let him go with some intrigue. "Good afternoon to you too. How was your last day at school?" she asked him like a mother asks her child.

"Splendid, Laura! It was a remarkable day, full of joy and unforgettable memories. We had our last forensics class early in the morning, and after that we received our final project to present as a thesis."

"Are all those papers your final project instructions? Maybe we should take a look through them before lunch. When do you have to present it?" she asked.

"Well, we have two weeks to work on our final project. Then we have to make a presentation, and if we do it right, we have our license." He answered.

"Why are you talking in the plural? What do you mean with _we_?"

"We have to work on our last task in a team, Laura. One of the most difficult challenges a Private Investigator faces, is to work as a part of a team." He answered dryly.

Laura sensed that she was missing something. "Just to be communicative, who is the other part of your team, Mr. Steele?" She gave him a killer gaze.

"You said something about lunch? I'm starving. Why don't we let the topic rest until tonight? I am out of ideas right now Miss Holt. I made a reservation at Domenico's for 1:30. Are you ready to join me?" asked in a hurry a worried Mr. Steele.

Laura was still in her previous position, her arms crossed, "The name, Mr. Steele…"

Just feeling himself with no escape, he said, almost in a whisper, "Meyers, Miss Holt." He was looking everywhere but at her.

"Is Meyers a he or a she, Mr. Steele?" asked a suspicious Laura.

"Do you promise you are still having lunch and dinner with me, Laura?"

"I think you've just answered my question, Mr. Steele" she said with resignation. "And why do I feel this female colleague of yours is nothing similar to a non-beauty, not interesting at all, Mr. Steele?" she said with irony.

Then he took her by her waist, and with a secure movement pulled her against him. "You know the only beauty I am interested in is you, Laura."

"You do mean that, do you?" She was entranced in his blue eyes when the feeling of his breath inches away from her, was announcing a truce in front of them.

"Do you want a proof, just to be clear, Miss Holt?"

"It would be welcomed…just to be sure about your statement, you know…"

He pulled her towards him, but when their lips were almost touching, Mildred opened the door, right on cue. They startled and separated their bodies feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Lunch, Miss Holt?" asked Mr. Steele, giving her a cue to leave.

"Lunch, Mr. Steele. Hold the fort Mildred. We'll be back for our 3:00 o'clock meeting." And after getting her purse, they left the office, focusing on resuming their last truce intent in the limo, this time with success.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

They had a nice lunch, and the ugly topic stayed stuck at the office. They talked about the case that was on their schedule, and after a good meal, they returned to duty. The referred case scheduled didn't seem a complex one. With the information they had on advance, they knew that it was about a man that died almost two months ago, by supposed natural causes, and a widow suspecting that it wasn't natural, and that there was something hidden behind it all. It was almost a routine case.

"Why do you think your husband was murdered, Mrs. Pollack?" asked Miss Holt.

"Edmund was a healthy man, Miss Holt. He played sports regularly, and never smoked. He had a little issue with his heart, but being under treatment, the doctors said that he was out of danger. But then he suffered a massive heart attack. The doctors couldn't do anything! Are you going to help me, Mr. Steele?" asked the desperate woman.

"We seem to have a problem here, Mrs. Pollack. I am not able to follow your case as personally as you want at the moment. I have prior commitments to attend. We can take your case, and Miss Holt will be in charge, if you don't mind. She is the best PI in LA. I'd supervise the development of the matters but she would be in charge. If you agree with that, we can start tomorrow," stated Mr. Steele.

"If you say she is as good as you, I agree."

"She is more than good as me. You'll receive the most valuable treatment from our agency, Mrs. Pollack. Set a meeting for, let's say next week, with our secretary, and your case is already started."

"Ok, thank you Mr. Steele, Miss Holt," said the woman.

"See you next week, madam," said Mr. Steele.

They shook hands, and once Mrs. Pollack was out of his office, Laura closed the door, and choosing her words carefully, she told him, "It seems I am going to run this case alone, as in the old, old times. I don't know if I remember how to do it."

"Don't underestimate yourself Laura. You are perfectly capable to work alone on this case and have it resolved in a blink. You know that."

"That's not what I mean. I don't know if I remember how to run a case without you by my side. It will be different. Something will be missed."

"Only two weeks, Miss Holt. Enjoy them! After that, you'll never have the chance to run a case without my shadow beside you. Although, I'll miss working with you too, but we can share lunch and dinner, and soon as we guess, all this will be over."

She hated to admit that she was going to miss him, and that she was jealous of him working on a team with another woman. But there wasn't another option available. And she was terrified that her old doubts, the ones she supposedly buried, would get out and make her existence more miserable.

After a sight, she said, "Ok. Let's start to work. Your invitation for dinner is still up?"

"Sure, Laura. See you at 9:00? What kind of food are you in the mood for Miss Holt?"

"Any kind of food that includes one of your masterpieces, and you beside me to enjoy it." She went to where he was standing, and gave him a sensual kiss, just as a reminder of things to come. Her departure from his office left him distracted and certainly in no mood at all to start with his task.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Laura left the office and went directly to the Country Club where Mr. Pollack used to play tennis before his heart attack. She tried to speak with the man in charge at the Tennis Club House that fateful day, but it was his free day. She decided to make a hike through the facilities, to get a first impression without other's influences, about the members of the club routines.

She started at the courts, just because the first step, the changing rooms were not allowed for a feminine investigator. She should have dragged the male detective of the agency there just for once, to be in touch with the men's private conversations running in there, she thought. It would be another time. There was a booth beside the courts, where everyone needs to check in before playing and where the files for court reservations were kept. The only name figuring in that file, was the name of the one making the reservation, Pollack this time, so she would have to investigate further who the other three players were at the court with him the day he died after his match. She remembered that Mrs. Pollack said that her husband liked to play in the morning, during the business time, because there were fewer players on the courts, and it felt quieter. She also said that he always played with the same gentlemen, although she didn't know them personally.

After a stroll all around the courts, Laura decided to go to the bar to have something to drink, just following the tennis players routines. Once in there she sat at a table near the windows, witha great sightseeing of the place. The waiter came to take her order, and she asked for an iced tea and a piece of cake. This order would give her some time to be there watching and listening while posing as a member of the club. She saw that almost every player went there after their games. It seemed that everyone knew everyone there. It was a perfect place to meet new friends, with tennis as an excuse, and to be unnoticed by the others on any kind of intent. When her order arrived at the table, she decided it was time to ask some questions to the waiter.

"Excuse me sir, do you work here since a long time? I am looking for a friend of mine that was a usual player here. I've lost his phone number, and I thought that maybe I would have luck looking for him here," said Laura trying to sound friendly.

"I've worked here a long time, madam. Maybe if you tell me the name I could help you," said the man with a polite gesture.

"I am looking for Edmund Pollack. We used to play here every week a couple of years ago, but then I had to move to Santa Barbara, and we lost contact. Do you know him?"

"Oh! Mr. Pollack. Don't you know? He had a heart attack just after a tennis match about a month ago. He died on the way to the hospital. What a shame! He was a good man, always very polite and very correct, a very fine man. He had a lot of friends here. We all miss him," said the man.

"Oh, no! I didn't know anything about it! I can't believe what you are saying. But he wasn't ill, wasn't he? "

"Nobody knew if he was. It was a terrible surprise for everyone here. Neither his friends nor Mrs. Becker, his usual partner in mixed doubles," said the waiter.

I'd love to talk with some of his friends, would you tell me their names, please? I would love to give a call to his wife too. It's so sad!"

"Sure, do you want me to present them to you? They are at the table on the other side of the room."

"No, I am almost in shock at the moment. I would not be able to find the correct words. Just give me the names and I'll contact them later. I have a pen, would you write them here, please?" said a sorrowed Laura.

"Sure, madam." He wrote the names, and after that he indicated her who was who at the table.

After finishing her cake, she decided that her work there was done for the day. She found some useful clues to follow. It was getting late, and she would have to return fast to the office to get the investigations settled with Mildred for the next day. A special evening was waiting for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hello Mildred, I was hoping you'd still be here. I've been working on the Pollack case, and I have some names I want you to run an investigation on. Is Mr. Steele still here?"

"Yes, Miss Holt. He has been locked in his office since you left. His only distraction was a cup of tea I brought him about an hour ago. I think he is trying to put the things together before working with his project partner," said the secretary.

"I'm going to check on how he is doing on his task. You can go home Mildred, it has been a long day. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, honey." Mildred didn't have to say anything else. She knew the day was finished for her there. Mr. Steele and Miss Holt would love to spend some time alone at the end of the day checking on their own progress in their respective cases. They'd been doing that for a long time, always finding an excuse to spend more time alone together.

"Laura went directly to her office, and after leaving her purse and hat, she poked herself through the connecting door. "Mr. Steele… Are you still working? I thought I wasn't going to find you here." Taking a step towards him with her hands entwined behind her back, she walked to his desk, where there were a lot of papers scattered on it. "Did you figure out something while I was out of the office?"

"Hello, Laura," he said looking up to her. "I think I have found the correct way to start. And that's a lot…" Looking at his watch, he discovered how late it was. "We must be going now if we want to have dinner at a reasonable hour. Why don't you go to the loft, and I'll meet you there. We could eat some pasta with a good wine… I can do the shopping and meet you there in about an hour. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds great. See you there." She didn't tell him that she had a surprise waiting for him since a long time ago. This night would be the perfect time to give it to him. They shared a brief kiss, and Miss Holt left the office.

Just when he was sure she wasn't at the agency anymore, he took the paper from his inside pocket, and dialed the number. "Hello, Caroline? Steele here."

They ate some salmon ravioli, with a mushroom and capers cream sauce, and a light white wine. They opened a second bottle without noticing that the first one was empty faster than usual. It was then when Laura felt that the perfect moment had arrived. "I have something special for you, and I think it would be better to have you prepared before I bring it here for you to unwrap it."

"Really? Something special…for me?" He approached to her and put his arms around her waist. "You know I love surprises Laura, especially when you are involved in them. But I dare say for sure that I would love them more if I'd have to unwrap you in them." He told her pulling her body tightly to him while making their gaze almost electrifying.

"I think I'll bring it here for you to unwrap it. I'd be very pleased just with that." She walked away from his embrace just in time.

Laura went to her bedroom, leaving a dreamy Mr. Steele with a thrilled expectation, and after a moment she returned with a big package in her hands. She put it on the table, and looked at him, noticing his disappointment. She knew just at the moment she has said the words that he was waiting for another kind of surprise. But this was going to happen soon, without any of them being surprised by the other with any decision. They would exactly know, both of them, when it would be the perfect moment; the moment when they wouldn't need to think about making a decision surprising the other.

He opened the package with quite urgency, as always. It seemed as if he was afraid that the gift would disappear if it took too long for him to open it. He rumpled the paper, and when he discovered what it was, he gave her a boyish smile that lightened the dimed room. "_Detectives do it with detail_? I can't believe you did this, Laura." Here he had a slight aroma about the old Laura.

"I know you'd always been horrified about Wilson's t-shirt. The only way to put another impression in your mind, was giving you the correct one. As you'll become a detective soon, it seemed fair. Just an incentive, you know…"

"And why the box with a lot of free space, may I ask, Miss Holt?" He knew a bright and creative answer was to follow his request.

"Because it's my hope that once you become a detective, you'd _do_ it with a lot of detail…"she told him as she closed the space between them.

"Count on that, Laura, count on that. You are a wicked detective, you know that?" He embraced her and put his hand under her chin, to look straight into her eyes.

"I am just a detective, Mr. Steele. The wicked part is on you." And just then, they found themselves immersed in a passionate kiss, with just a prelude of the details they would share in the future.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next day, Laura arrived to the office with such energy. "Good morning Mildred. Is Mr. Steele in? I can't believe he is here already. It's too early."

"I know, Miss Holt, but he told me he has a meeting at ten to work on his thesis. He wanted to put his things in order before that."

"Is his appointment here, or he is going outside, Mildred?"

"I think his partner will be here by 10:30. He sent me to buy some pastries to take to them while they are working. I was waiting for you to come, to go straight to Dannessen."

"He asked you for pastries?!" said a tense Laura. "Are they going to work, or enjoy some kind of brunch in his office?" She turned without saying another word, and directed herself to her office, not bothering to wait for Mildred's answer. The door slam could be heard from the other building.

Mildred was sure this would be exactly Laura's reaction. She knew her kids very well. When Mr. Steele asked her about the pastries, she guessed that it was the first one of a series of unexpected facts, provoking Miss Holt's rage. It was going to be a long week. Thinking about the two weeks ahead of her at the same time was almost suffocating. "Let's take one day at a time, honey," she said to herself.

Laura was in her office, sitting at her desk, trying to find something to do to get him and his _meeting_ out of her mind. She wasn't getting anywhere. At some point, she decided to take the files that Mildred had left on her desk, and get out of the office without even greeting him. She knew she was wrong behaving like that, but the feeling was impossible to avoid at the moment. She was looking for a pen in Mildred's desk drawers, to leave her a note, when a tall, blonde and beautiful woman entered the office.

"Good morning," she said to Laura, confusing her with the secretary since Mildred was outside running _his_ errands. "I am looking for Remington Steele. I'm Caroline Meyers, would you announce me, please?"

"Of course," said a very polite Laura. "Do you want to have a seat? I'll give him the message personally. Would you excuse me?" She stood up from Mildred's desk, and slowly walked towards his door. Her heels were almost piercing the rug with every step. She opened it, and with a sharp voice that almost froze him, she said, "Your partner is here…Sir. Should I send her in?"

He knew that it wasn't the time to try to slow down things. "Send her in, Laura. Thank you," he said without taking his eyes from the paper he was reading. It was the safest movement at the moment. He had been thinking a lot about meeting his school partner at the office because of Laura's reaction. But it would be worse if they'd met in another place, and she'd suspected about their intentions, he reasoned. Laura was a specialist doing that, although he helped her in her training about those attitudes through the years. But things were different now. At least, he supposed that. He hoped that.

"Of course…_Sir,_" she answered him while turning to the woman and making a gesture guiding her into his office. Once the visitor had only one foot inside, she slammed the door almost catching Miss Meyers's other foot with it. The woman was almost shocked. A second later, Laura opened the door again, and with a sneaky sweet voice, she said, "Sorry, it seems I woke up with a lot of energy this morning." And she politely closed the door, leaving them alone.

"She seems to have a strong character herself. I'd never guessed that. She looked so small and so sweet…" said Caroline.

"She's got a strong character herself indeed, Caroline. But that is part of her charm, believe me. Please, have a seat! I have a few ideas to start. We have a lot of work to do."

"Let's start, Remington," she answered. The sound of his name almost paralyzed him. He felt lucky Laura wasn't there to hear her calling him like that.

Miss Holt gathered her things again, and left the office with the car keys in her hand. She would have jumped into the elevator hole if the doors would have allowed her to do it to arrive faster to the garage. She wanted to drive today. It would give her the chance to cool off just a bit.

Laura returned to the Tennis club, with the hope of finding any of Mr. Pollack's friends. Before looking for them, she went to the bar, asked for some coffee, and started to read Mildred's information. With all the agitation at the office, she found herself with a lack of her usual background investigation done before starting to work. Once she had everything in her mind, she closed the file, and started her search for any of 's friends that would be at the place. She recognized one as Michael Harrison, got up from her chair, and approached his table. "Excuse me, are you Michael Harrison? I'm Laura Holt, Edmund Pollack's friend. Just yesterday, I found out what happened to him. May I ask you how it happened? Were you with him when he got sick?"

"A pleasure Miss Holt. Yes, I'm Michael Harrison. I was near Edmund when he got sick. It was a tragedy, poor man."

Mr. Steele and Caroline were working on their task, putting everything together, to start the project. They were assigned Case N° 12 Disputed Inheritance. Now, they would have to follow the clues to discover the facts that had originated the case, the clues hidden behind the facts, the way to prove their suspicions, and the final result of the case.

The day ran fast, and Mildred poked her head by his office's door to announce her departure. She wasn't sure about leaving the _students _alone after Miss Holt's outburst in the morning, but she had to get home eventually, and this was just the first day of the whole situation. Her bosses would have to resolve their issues in private, without the help of anyone from the outside. Miss Krebs was out, she decided. "I'm going home, chief. See you tomorrow."

"Ok Mildred, see you tomorrow," said a concentrated Mr. Steele.

"Is she another detective working in your office, Remington?" asked Caroline while reading a paper pretending disinterest.

"Actually, Mildred is not a detective yet. She is our secretary," he answered her dryly.

Noticing the word _our_ in his sentence, she deepened her inquiry. "Who is the other detective in the office then?"

Mr. Steele decided then to pinpoint things. "Our real detective here is Miss Holt. She is the best I know, and it will be a challenge to try to be on par with her once I get my license."

"I don't think it will be that hard," answered Caroline, trying to smooth out things.

"I do not venture to try to find how hard it would be. Just working beside her it's a challenge that changed my life forever. I don't think I would be able to do that to anyone's life."

"I think everyone has the chance to change another one's life, as long as the opportunity presents itself." She tried to leave an open door there, for another future slight approach.

Sensing that things were getting a bit heavy in their conversation, he decided to finish with the situation. "I think it's getting late, Caroline. Perhaps it would be wise to stop for the day, and resume our work tomorrow. Say we meet here after the class. What do you think?"

"It's fine with me," said Miss Meyers. "Do you want to go for a drink to celebrate our advances in the investigation, Remington?"

"I appreciate your invitation, Caroline, but I have a previous engagement that I wouldn't want to miss. An important one." He stated the last words with a gesture, trying to make her understand that he was not available at the moment, and hoping that with that settled, she would stop flirting with him. He didn't have that feeling before, not feeling comfortable flirting with any woman. The need to do it disappeared some time ago when things with Laura started to flow in the correct way. It was going to be a long week, he thought to himself; a long and hard first week until the end of his final project.

Laura arrived at the loft after a hard work day. She found the information Mr. Harrison gave her very interesting. After her meeting with him in the morning, she went to the hospital where Mr. Pollack had arrived that fateful day, and asked for his medical files. Bureaucracy was stressful. She only ended her task with success, after Mrs. Pollack gave her a document authorizing her to ask for the medical files.

Once at the loft, she left her purse and the files on the counter, opened the refrigerator and found some orange juice. That would be enough. She reclined on the couch, took off her shoes, and closed her eyes trying to relax for a moment. She was thinking about if she would be able to read some of the files before going to Rossmore, or if some rest would be the most appropriate thing to do before her meeting with Mr. Steele. She decided to start with the files, just to feel less guilty about her prior behavior, sharing with him some of her finds of her day. She didn't know if he had the same feeling about not working together, or if he was distracted enough to notice the fact. She was having a hard time. She really needed to study the files. After two orange juice glasses, and some reading done, she decided to take a shower.

Mr. Steele was cooking, with the hope that Laura would arrive at the condo for dinner. They didn't make arrangements about that, before her abrupt departure from the office. But he was confident that she would need to end the day with him, the same as he needed to end it with her. The food was almost ready, and all he had to do was to wait for her. He poured himself a glass of wine, and sat on the couch to listen to one of his favorite jazz albums. The fire was illuminating the dimed room, inspiring a relaxing sensation throughout the whole apartment.

Laura arrived as on cue, when he decided to rest for some time, thinking about strategies to maintain the conversation out of the dangerous zones. "Hi," she said leaning on the door frame when he opened it. "I was missing you. I thought about coming here and staying to have dinner together."

"I was with the same thought about you staying here to have dinner together. I missed you too." She made a step towards him, and he hugged her and gave her a sweet kiss.

"If this is a prelude about the food you've made for dinner, I'll decidedly stay until the end," she told him.

"I count on that, Laura. I have a special dessert for you tonight."

"I'm just enjoying the thought of it."

They closed the door, and the incredible smell coming out from the kitchen lured them there.

The food was delicious, and the chocolate éclair mousse crowned the dinner with honors. Some wine accompanied their conversation until they were in front of the fireplace and he decided to warm them with a Cognac goblet. Mr. Steele was sitting on the floor, with his back resting on the couch, and Laura was lying on the floor as well, her head on his lap. He was playing with her hair, while listening to what she was saying. They talked about the case, and Laura updated him with her last steps at the Tennis Club.

"I spoke with some of Mr. Pollack's tennis friends today. I did it first with Michael Harrison, one of the players who was with him when he got sick. He told me they ended the game, and the four players decided to have a drink at the Club House, as they always did. They went there, and once Mr. Pollack started his beverage, he started to feel unwell. They tried to help him while somebody called the paramedics, but he was getting worst by every second. When the doctor arrived at last, he was unconscious and all they could do was get him into the ambulance, and run to the hospital in a hurry. He died some minutes after his arrival. I have his medical files at the loft, but I didn't take a look at them yet."

"It sounds like if he had a heart attack as a result of his exercise. Maybe he didn't have any problem before, but his heart failed only one time, but with a strong failure," he told her. "Did you find any other useful witness?"

"Actually, yes. I spoke with a man named Albert Hill, another tennis player. He used to play against Mr. Pollack sometimes, but only playing mixed games. He played with his wife, while Edmund played with a woman named Joan Becker," said Laura.

"He played with a woman but not with his wife? I can't remember Mrs. Pollack saying that in our meeting at the office," he told her." Maybe Mildred should run an investigation about her, and about a Mr. Becker, if there is one."

"I'll think about telling Mildred that tomorrow. I'll try to find something in his medical file too. Maybe there is something there to investigate." Then, she decided to start with the topic they'd been avoiding through the night. It was then or never. "How did things go with your partner? Did you two find something interesting for tomorrow's class?"

"I think we did it decently well." He was measuring his words with a caliber. "We found our case number, and we started to put things together to follow with the investigation."

"I am sorry about my behavior at the office this morning. I shouldn't have behaved like that. It was hard to see her staying there to work with you, and me being the one that had to go. I'll try to get over it the next time. I promise. I know you are not going to flirt with her. But I hate the thought of the possibility of her flirting with you. I can't help it." She was quiet. "**_We all go a little mad sometimes,"_****she said.**

"_Psycho, 1960, Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh_.", he said with a sinister voice. They looked at each other, and started to laugh for a while, both aware of how easy they were continuing their movie quotes lately.

He followed caressing her, and after a brief silence she asked him, "Do you think your case would be more difficult to resolve with a new partner?"

He stayed quiet, just noticing how right and sincere she could be sometimes about the most difficult things for her. "I would not flirt with anybody but you, Laura. It wouldn't feel right. And it wouldn't be fun. The funny thing about flirting is doing it with the correct person. And that's you, Miss Holt. Don't worry about another situation, because it won't happen." He kissed her brow, and followed stroking her hair.

"You didn't answer my question about your case."

"She is not a new partner, Laura. As I know, I have only one partner, and that's you. Miss Meyers is a colleague assigned by a weird professor, to resolve a study case for about only two weeks. I have the hope my real partner will last forever, Laura."

That was everything she wanted to hear. The boring chat was over for the night and other more pleasant activities were waiting for them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day started early at the classroom. Professor Van der Velde was supervising the advances in the cases, and taking notes about the routes everyone took to arrive at conclusions. He seemed satisfied with his pupils, and after a quick but exhaustive explanation about the next steps to follow, everybody left the room. Caroline and Mr. Steele went in his car to the office, and when they arrived, Mildred was at her desk. "Good morning, Boss," she said.

"Good morning Mildred. Is Miss Holt in?" he asked.

"Yes, chief. She is in her office. Do you want me to send her to yours?"

"No Mildred, thank you. We'll meet her there."

Caroline didn't understand why they were going to her office instead of his. Just when he opened Laura's office's door, things began to make sense to her_. _The woman wasn't the secretary_. Laura_ was the other detective. The _real one, _as he put it the day before.

He went directly to her side, and kissed her lovingly. He had a strategy, to set things clear with Caroline. He wanted her to politely know that he wasn't available, and that he was committed to Laura. That would stop her advances on him, and at the same time would reassure Laura that he wanted to set things clear in front of Caroline. "Caroline, this is Laura Holt, the real soul of Remington Steele Investigations."

"Nice to meet you Miss Holt. You are a legend according to your partner. Mr. Steele spoke only wonders about you."

"Nice to meet you too, Caroline. Maybe you are exaggerating calling me a legend, Mr. Steele," said an embarrassed Laura.

At this moment, Steele took advantage of the situation, and started to flirt with Laura right in front of Caroline's eyes. "She is my favorite legend, and I have the pleasure of working with her every day. I am a lucky man." He stated his words giving a smile to Laura.

"You are a lucky man indeed, Mr. Steele. But don't abuse of your good fortune," Laura told him giving him a warning to stop his flirting in front of the other woman. _The other woman_, she thought, that sounded good.

"Should we start with our work schedule, Miss Meyers? Let's go to my office. It's just beside Laura's." And then he opened the connecting door, certain to show her how close their offices were. He made her a gesture to go through the door, and just when Caroline was out of Miss Holt's office, he winked at Laura, who raised her hands smiling, telling him without saying a word, that she was satisfied with everything he'd done in his little act.

Once the students left her office, Miss Holt resumed the reading of Mr. Pollack's medical file. He was a patient in that hospital. He arrived there in serious condition. When he descended from the ambulance, he was intubated, with an IV already in his arm, and the paramedics were monitoring his vital signs. The first diagnosis had been a heart attack. Once at the hospital he was sent to the shock/trauma room, where he was injected with some thrombolytic and beta blockers. He stayed there for about an hour while the medical staff tried to stabilize him, but then his heart stopped. There were some electrocardiograms attached to the file. The final diagnosis was Fulminating Heart Attack.

There wasn´t anything unusual there for her. The man seemed to be in good condition, but heart attacks don't usually give a warning before their unexpected appearance. To follow with her investigations, she would have to know anything else that would look like a motive for somebody wanting him dead. She decided to try again with the man in charge of the booth at the tennis courts. She headed again to the club, and once there, the court's supervisor told her that Mr. Pollack usually played with three men on Tuesdays, but that he used to play mixed doubles after that game the same day. His female partner was Mrs. Becker and she was at the Club House at that moment. Miss Holt decided to have a talk with the woman. She arrived at the bar and asked for her, and in a minute she was introducing herself to the woman. "Excuse me, are you Mrs. Becker" asked Laura. "I'm Laura Holt, and I'm investigating Mr. Pollack's death. May I have a few words with you?"

"Of course, come and have a seat, please," answered the woman.

"Did you know Edmund since a long time ago?"

"Yes. We knew each other since we were in college. We dated for some time but it didn't work. We remained friends."

"Were you with him the day he died?"

"Yes. I was with him when he started to feel sick. We had just finished our double match, and we came to the bar to have something to drink. After a few sips, he started to complain about his left arm, that he had an ache there, and then he crumbled to the floor. I asked for help to the bar tender, and they called an ambulance."

"Did you notice something wrong with him during the play, or after the game ended?" asked Laura.

"No, frankly I didn't. He was fine. We won the match and he played really well this day."

"What was he drinking when he started to feel unwell?" asked Laura.

"I think he was ending his iced tea bottle, and we asked for some beers once we got here. I don't remember anything else on the table."

"Do you remember anything else that would be interesting to investigate?"

"No, I don't. Maybe if you give me your business card I can call you if I remember anything else," said Mrs. Becker.

"Of course, here you are. Are you still married?" Laura introduced her question nonchalantly.

"Yes, I am. But my husband doesn't like to play tennis. You will not find him here. He travels a lot because of his work. But if you need to talk with him, it would be no problem."

"It won't be necessary Mrs. Becker. Thank you for your time."

Laura smelled something odd in Mrs. Becker's words. The woman looked rueful while talking of her friend. They knew each other since a long time ago, and they were still friends. Mildred would have to run a search about Joan Becker and her husband.

She arrived at the office just in time to cross paths with Mildred, who was leaving the place. "Miss Holt! Mr. Steele left a message for you. He said he'll be picking you up at 8:00 to go to have dinner together."

"Where did he go, Mildred?"

"He went to the library, to find some bibliography to document his advances on the case, Miss Holt. See you tomorrow, honey."

"See you tomorrow, Mildred," said Laura, continuing on her way. She arrived to her office, and noticing that the connecting door was open, she took the chance to look at some of the work the students were making. He had been very fussy about sharing his papers with her. She was sure Mr. Steele was trying to show himself as an efficient and responsible student. But the mystery encrypted in the folders was intriguing her. The files were in a pile on his desk. She approached there, put her hand on the upper one, and stopped. She couldn't touch anything else. The intrigue was devouring her from inside. But it wasn't anything like distrust. It was her own indomitable detective energy, what was driving her mad smelling a case with clues and puzzles to resolve resting peaceably on his desk. She would have to resist the urge. He deserved that. Finding force very deep inside her, she returned to her office. It was at that moment when she noticed the file waiting for her on her desk. A note was attached to it. "Laura, I don't like to work alone. This is a copy of the file I have on my desk. I know that this is my final exam, but I know how intrigued you might be, wanting to know everything about the case and my advances in it. I'm not asking you for help. It´s just that it feels better if I know you are aware of them. Once the exam is over, we will be able to discuss everything about my steps in the investigation. Have fun, Detective Holt! RS."

He was reading her like a book. She couldn't help but smile thinking about it. Looking at her watch, she realized she had enough time to take a look at the papers. She sat down, kicked off her shoes, crossed her feet over the desk, and finally she opened the folder wearing her special smile, the one that showed on her face when she was starting a new case.

Mr. Steele was at the LA Public Library, working on his case. The team had ordered the facts, and they arrived at a very detailed development of the start of the case. The first thing they had settled was the death of a man, by natural causes, no family but his wife was to inherit his possessions. The man was a successful business man, with a good economic position, and trying to start his retiring from his working life. He participated in several enterprises, and after some years owning his own company, he was ready to sell it to an interested buyer. Mr. Steele was at one table, with a lot of books opened, trying to figure out what kind of business the man would be working with. That was one of the mysteries to solve. They had some clues to do that. Several hours had passed and he was in the middle of his investigation, when he felt his limbs starting to get numb. He stretched them, and only then he saw the hour on his watch. It was getting late. He should end with his notes, and return the books to the librarian.

Laura was driving the Rabbit on her way to the loft, when a red light stopped her. It was a warm afternoon, and she was enjoying the breeze with the top down. Beside her stopped another car, with a couple having a heated discussion inside. As they had the windows opened, she participated involuntarily in the fight, hearing part of their argument. They were talking about their children, and money, and responsibility. That was not the way Laura had in mind to drive home. She wanted to relax before dinner, to slow down a bit; and now everything she had in her mind was the foreign couple's discussion repeating again and again.

She arrived at the loft, had a shower, and got herself ready just in time for Mr. Steele's arrival. He came upstairs to look for her. "Good evening Laura. Oh Laura, you look beautiful tonight! Fred is waiting for us. Hurry up!" he said.

"Good evening to you too." And she gave him a quick kiss. "Where are we going?" asked Laura.

"I have a reservation at Chef Moliere. A friend recommended it."

"Sounds good. Let's go, Mr. Steele. I'm starving."

Once at the restaurant, after studying their menus, and just opening the conversation, he asked her about her day. "Did you find anything new about the case today, Laura?"

"I went to the club, looking for Mrs. Becker."

"Did you find her?" he asked her.

"Yes, I was lucky she was still there when I arrived. We talked for a while. She is a fine woman. She used to play doubles with Mr. Pollack. They knew each other since college, and she was with him when he got sick," said Laura. "She told me about the things that had happened the day he died. She was pretty sad. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that there was something running between the two of them. I wouldn't say they were having an affair, but maybe they had been more that friends at some point in their lives."

"That puts her into the case, not as a witness, but as a possible suspect. Did you ask Mildred to run a search about her?"

"I finally left her a note this afternoon. She was leaving the office when I arrived. I asked her if she would find something about Mrs. Becker and her husband."

"Her husband? Is there a Mr. Becker, indeed? That would discard her as a suspect, or maybe it would add another one to the list."

"We'll see what Mildred finds tomorrow." Just then their order arrived, and work was replaced by other more pleasant topics through the evening.

Once dinner was over, they decided to have a stroll and to return to Rossmore walking. The night was warm, and they were in the mood for a romantic walk. He tapped the limo roof twice, and Fred's work night was over. They started their relaxed walk separately, but after a few steps they were attracted to the other one like magnets. He put his arm over Laura's shoulders, and she put hers around his waist. It was noticeable how well they fit together in any situation.

"I found an interesting folder on my desk this afternoon," said Laura, breaking the silence.

"Mmm, remind me to warn Mildred about the order in the office. I think she is pretty confused about who is the boss here," he answered, smiling at her.

"I think she is keeping the files in order very well, Mr. Steele. And she is not at all confused about who is the boss at the office."

"I think I am a bit confused myself about that sometimes. I can't blame her if…"

She realized then that he wasn't going to talk about the file. He had left it on her desk only because he wanted her as a part of everything in his life. She interrupted him, "Thank you."

"Thank _you,_" he answered stopping their steps, pulling her towards him and giving her a sweet kiss. They resumed their walk without talking anymore, just enjoying the sweet silence of the night, and the feeling that as time passed by, the need for words was less urgent anytime.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The following morning found Mildred alone in the office, searching for the information Miss Holt asked her in the note. She was in the middle of the task, when the phone rang. "Remington Steele Investigations," she answered.

"I want to talk with Remington Steele, please." A female voice was at the other end of the line. "I'm Caroline Meyers, his co…"

"Mr. Steele is not in the office at the moment. May I help you?" interrupted Mildred.

"Please tell him to call me back. I have some news about our case that I want to share with him."

The words _our_ and _share_ didn't sound correct for Mildred's ears. She didn't like her boss's school partner. She felt that the woman was ready to jump on him like a panther on its prey at any opportunity.

"Do you want to tell me the news and I will pass it along to him, Miss Meyers?"

"No, thank you. I'll do it myself. Please tell him to call me back. Thank you." And then she ended the call.

Mildred was putting the receiver in the cradle showing some displeasure, when Miss Holt opened the agency's door.

"Good morning Mildred," said Laura, and giving a look to the mail on the desk she asked, "Who was on the phone?"

"It was Mr. Steele's school partner, Miss Holt." She didn't explain anymore, trying to talk with Miss Holt the less possible about that woman.

Laura left the mail on the desk guessing the secretary's intentions, and after an impatient sigh she asked, "What did she want, Mildred? Out with it!"

"She wanted to talk with Mr. Steele about some advances on their case, Miss Holt."

"They are supposed to meet here in the afternoon. Can't she wait?"

"I don't know. I asked her to tell me what she wanted, but she refused. She wanted him calling her back," said the secretary.

"I think I know what kind of advances are on her schedule, Mildred. And I don't feel that they are an inch near the case." And changing her aggressive face for a worried one she asked, "Do I look desperate?"

"You look fine, Miss Holt. But if I had no confidence in the chief I would say that she is dangerous. But you don't have to worry. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you. He cares a lot about you. You know that."

"I know, Mildred. I agree with you. I trust in him. The one I don't trust is her. Only a week and a half to go…" She sighed again. "Let's start with the day. Do you have the things I asked you yesterday?"

"Yes, Miss Holt. I am working on them. I have Mr. Becker's information, and I'll bring you Mrs. Becker's file once I finished it. Do you want some coffee?"

"Please, Mildred. Thank you." Laura walked into her office and started to read the file. Mr. Joseph Becker was a business man, as his wife said, and he was the sales manager of an intermediate company. He traveled through 3 states to check the employees, visiting clients and trying to find new ones. It wasn't common finding a manager doing the work of a salesman. But it seemed that the man used to work that way, and the company liked it. He worked for the same company for almost 20 years. He married his wife about 22 years ago, and they had two sons together. No criminal records, bank accounts with nothing interesting, and no family aside from his wife. He seemed to be a straight man.

Just when Laura was finishing with her file, Mildred came into her office with the coffee and the other file. "Take a look to this one, Miss Holt. I think there is something interesting on page 4."

Laura opened the file, and fighting against herself to go straight to that page, she started at the beginning. Mrs. Joan Becker was the same age as her husband. She had a degree in History, and married him a year after she graduated. No criminal records, bank accounts shared with Mr. Becker, nothing hidden. Then, she arrived at page 4. She had two sons with her husband, but she had a baby, that she gave up for adoption when she was in her last year in college. That information put all Laura's wires into action. "Mildred, would you come here for a minute, please?" she asked the secretary through the intercom.

Mildred, who was looking at her from the door, answered, "I am here, Miss Holt. Did you read it?"

"Yes, I did. Is there any way to know what happened with that baby?"

"I don't think it would be possible, Miss Holt. You know how hard it could be to find that. I don't know if we could get the information without a court order. It seems almost impossible otherwise."

"Then, the only chance we have is to ask her about it. Mrs. Becker told me that she and Mr. Pollack dated when they were in college, but she didn't tell me _when_ they stopped dating. That baby could have been theirs. That would change everything about our case. If Edmund Pollack and Joan Richardson had a baby together, there is the possibility of another Edmund Pollack heir in addition to Mrs. Pollack. Mildred, please call her and arrange a meeting for tomorrow, if it's possible."

"Ok, Miss Holt. I'm on my way."

"Morning, morning, morning…"

"Good morning chief. The paper is on your desk. I'll be in a minute with your tea."

"Splendid Mildred! You are an angel. Is Miss Holt in her office?" he asked.

"Yes. She is working on the Pollack case. We found something interesting, boss." But she found herself speaking alone. While she was saying her last words, he was opening the door to Laura's office.

"Hello Laura, I see you came early to start with your duties, as always. Do you think there will ever come a day with you arriving at the office at a respectable hour? We ended late yesterday. You are the boss here. There is no need to be here with the sunrise." He sat down on the desk, in front of her.

She was reclined in her chair, staring at him in silence. They had the same conversation almost every day since four years ago. And she was still arriving early, and he was still arriving late. But this time she was ready to say something about the matter. "Mr. Steele, we say the same words every morning. It seems neither of us is ready to let the other win the argument. Why don't we make a truce, and allow each one of us to come to the office at the hour that seems appropriate to each one, and we start our work day without losing all this time in things that lead us nowhere?"

"I adore you when you play practical, Laura." He approached her, took her face in his hands, and gave her a kiss that left her without any thought about work in her mind.

"I love when you are practical, too," she whispered to him feeling almost floating.

"Lead the work, Miss Holt." And standing up, he left her office asking to the secretary, "Am I ready to start my work day, Mildred?"

"Your tea is on your desk, Chief…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mildred came to Mr. Steele's office, and gave him the message. "Miss Meyers called this morning looking for you, chief. I told her that I would tell you what she needed, but she wanted to tell you herself. She asked you to call her back."

"It's ok Mildred. I have the number." He was reading the paper, leaning back in his chair, with his feet on the desk.

"How are you two working together boss?" asked the secretary.

Knowing that she was trying to get anything out of him, he answered dryly without taking his eyes from the paper, "We are finding our clues in time Mildred. If we work at the same speed that we worked until now, I think the case will be solved by the weekend."

"I'm glad, chief. Miss Holt is missing working with you. She would kill me if she knows that I'm telling you, but know what?"

She caught his interest with her last words. He peered over the paper at her, and after looking both ways he asked her, "What, Mildred?"

"She told me that she trusts in you, but she is having a hard time seeing you working with another woman, because she doesn't trust in her." She gave him a warning gaze.

"You know what, Mildred?" he told her sounding like sharing a secret with her.

"What?" asked Mildred putting all her wires in action.

"I knew that already. Miss Holt did tell me that." And then he winked at her.

"Oh, boss…It was more fun some time ago, when you two were playing cat and mouse here. There was always something juicy to take out of you two. Now, there are no novelties to catch. It's starting to get boring. But I rather like you two together. I think I'll have to find another place to look for fun," she said showing a wicked face walking back to the reception area.

The meeting with Mrs. Becker was scheduled for the next day. With that already settled, Laura decided to make a visit to the hospital in the meantime.

She arrived there and asked the man at the reception desk, "Excuse me sir, I need to talk with Dr. Linley. Do you know where I can find him?"

"He is working on the second floor right now. Take the front elevator, and ask for him there," answered the receptionist.

She followed the instructions, and finally found him there. "Good afternoon, Dr. Linley. I'm Laura Holt, Private Investigator. I would like to ask you some questions about Edmund Pollack's death."

"Go ahead, Miss Holt. I have a few minutes before going to work again," he answered her while walking through the corridor.

"Well, it seems that he died because of a massive heart attack. But he was a healthy man. Does that happen usually?"

"Heart attacks are not scheduled, Miss Holt. Sometimes people have some warnings about them, and sometimes they don't. Sometimes the attack is fulminating, and sometimes it is not. It depends on a lot of factors."

"Would you mind explaining some of them to me, please?"

"That would take some time. Join me in my office, please. There are some pictures there that would be useful."

They went to his office, and after some clarifying explanations, Laura thanked him and left the place. She had found another piece of the puzzle. The full image was starting to appear.

Mr. Steele was working with Caroline in his office, and Mildred was on guard, waiting for Miss Holt. She wasn't going to leave the place this afternoon, with those two working alone in his office. She had a bad feeling about the woman, and she didn't want to take a risk. Mildred's tasks were over for the day, and she was ready to leave. But she thought that, as a favor to Miss Holt, she would try to have a glimpse about what was happening inside there. She thought about knocking on the door, just to look polite, but then she decided that she didn't want to look necessarily polite. She wanted to look aggressive, to make that evil woman think twice about attempting an advance on him. She opened the door with such energy, that Mr. Steele jumped in his chair. He was working at his desk, and _the woman_ was reading sitting on the couch. There was a safety distance between them. "Excuse me chief, do you want some coffee?" she asked him, not giving any look to Caroline.

"Why, Mildred…you are energetic today! Caroline, would you like some coffee?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me, with cream and sugar, please," answered Caroline to Mildred.

"I'll have some tea, Mildred. Thank you."

Miss Krebs closed the door, and with a particular gesture, she went to deal with her chief's order. The panther was behaving this time. But maybe it was because she knew that they weren't alone yet. She wouldn't give her the chance to change the setting. Once Caroline's coffee was on the table, and Mr. Steele thanked her for his tea, she left the room, but didn't close the door entirely. She left it ajar. In that way, she would be able to listen to their conversation. She sat on her chair and carefully started to work on her surveillance task.

Laura arrived at the office, sometime later, and seeing Mildred sitting on her chair, almost perched to Mr. Steele's door, she approached silently to the secretary, and slightly touched her shoulder. Mildred jumped in shock. "Miss Holt! I didn't hear you coming!" she said in an agitated whisper.

"That is, Mildred, because you were listening to another place…" Laura told her with a sarcastic face. The secretary followed her to her office. Once there Mildred explained her attitude to the detective. "I didn't want to leave until you arrived, Miss Holt. I don't like to leave him with that panther alone. I offered them something to drink and then I left the door barely opened, just in case."

"We don't need to do that, Mildred. We trust in him, don't we?"

"Yes Miss Holt. We trust in him, but we don't trust in her. Why don't you go inside there just to say hello? She will behave if she knows you are in the office next door."

"Ok, Mildred. I'll go in there, I'll say hello, and then I'll return to my office, and you'll return to your home. See you tomorrow, Mildred."

"See you tomorrow, Miss Holt."

Laura left her things on the desk, and after thinking for about one and a half seconds, she thought that Mildred's idea wasn't bad at all. She opened the connecting door, and greeted the two people in there. "Hello Mr. Steele, Miss Meyers… How are things going? Any advance?" She decided at that minute that she would try to enjoy the moment, and sitting on his desk, as it was her routine while managing reunions with clients, she decided to play teacher for some time. "Did you find something interesting today?"

"Actually, I think we did," responded Caroline trying to look smart. "We have the facts in order, we discovered the clues hidden behind the facts, and we are trying to figure out the killer's modus operandi in the case. We are getting close," she bragged.

"I'm sure you do, Miss Meyers," said Laura with irony. " What about you, Mr. Steele? Did you find anything interesting?"

He felt some cold running on his back. "Actually, yes Miss Holt. I did. I found that today would be our last day not working together. As I presume, our work will be done in about two hours, and then we will have to write our conclusions _separately_. I am closer to being a detective doing things with detail." He winked at her.

Laura smiled at him. "Right answer Mr. Steele." She stood up, and left the room. "I'll be in my office, if you need me."

Later, at Mr. Steele's apartment, they were eating Chinese food on the couch, and talking about the Pollack case.

"What did you find with that doctor?" asked Mr. Steele.

"I asked him about heart attacks, and he explained that a heart attack occurs when one or more of the arteries supplying your heart with oxygen-rich blood, the coronary arteries, become blocked. Another cause of a heart attack is a spasm of a coronary artery that shuts down blood flow to part of the heart muscle. Drugs, such as cocaine, can cause such a life-threatening spasm. Heart attacks can also occur if blood flow to the heart is severely decreased, in situations such as very low blood pressure, like a shock. The heart attack risk factors include age and stress, and Mr. Pollack was in the dangerous zone with those. Tobacco or illegal drug use can also cause a heart attack, but he wasn´t a smoker or an addict. High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, family history of heart attack, and lack of physic activity and obesity are other causes, which is not the case for Mr. Pollack."

"Mr. Pollack had a heart attack after a hard routine of exercise. That would explain it"

But Laura changed the topic. "Remember we were talking about Mrs. Becker and a possible Mr. Becker? Mildred found another interesting thing .There is a Mr. Becker, and he seems to be a good man, nothing out of order in his file. But we did find something useful in her file. She had a baby when she was in college," said Laura. "She gave it up for adoption."

"Well, maybe she was too young to be a mother."

"Maybe, but she didn't mention anything about that in our meeting."

"Laura, the woman is not going to reveal all her deepest secrets to the first private investigator that crosses her path."

"Mildred scheduled a meeting with her for tomorrow at the office. Do you think it's possible for you to be there?"

"I think I do. We need to get a few answers from her," he said.

"I like you talking in plural this time, Mr. Steele. It sounds correct, the use of the word _we,_ when the members of the team are you and me," said Laura, giving him a sweet smile.

"**"****_Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead_****! **_The More the Merrier, 1943," he said with energy._

_"__I love you quoting tonight, Mr. Steele. It feels good, like home." _

"Welcome home, Miss Holt…"

"Welcome home, Mr. Steele…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They were at his office, getting ready for the meeting, when Caroline Meyers came into the reception area. Mildred couldn't believe that the panther was there again.

"Good morning Miss Meyers. What brings you here this morning? I thought your work with Mr. Steele was finished," said Mildred seriously.

"Good morning Miss Krebs. I have some doubts about my conclusions about the case that I'd like to discuss with Mr. Steele. Would you announce me, please?"

"Mr. Steele and Miss Holt are ready for a meeting scheduled to start in about ten minutes. I don't think they'd have enough time for you today, honey."

"It seems you know them very well, just to give an answer for them without even a consult. How would you know it's not important enough to ask them? Oh…yes, you have been the secretary for years…"said Caroline with irony.

**_"_****_It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage_****_._**_Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981", _answered Mildred.

Just at that very moment, Laura and Mr. Steele came out of his office, thinking that the female voice was Mrs. Becker's. "I see you are instructing Mrs. Meyers on the film arts, Mildred," said Mr. Steele.

"Good morning Caroline, what are you doing here?" asked Laura almost ignoring her.

"I was having doubts about my conclusions, and I thought to stop by here for a while to talk about them with Remington," said Caroline.

"I'm afraid that _Mr. Steele_ is not available at the moment, Miss Meyers. We have a meeting in about…five minutes. You can reschedule with Mildred if you want. I know she will find a little hollow in Mr. Steele's agenda next week. Would you excuse us?" said Laura just savoring the moment and showing Caroline that she was intruding in her domain.

At that very moment Mrs. Becker arrived into the reception area. When she saw Caroline there, she stopped dead. "Caroline, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Do you know each other?" asked a surprised Laura giving a sided glare to Mr. Steele.

"Yes, we know each other," answered Caroline, with a hint of ire in her voice. "I think I'll come back at a better moment." She turned herself and left the office.

Everybody remained in silence for a moment. "Please, come into my office, Mrs. Becker." Mr. Steele made a gesture for her with his hands, and she started to walk. Once there, and after a brief introduction, they started the meeting.

"Why do you need to talk with me again, Miss Holt?" asked Mrs. Becker.

"When we were starting our investigation about Mr. Pollack, your name popped up. You should know why," said Laura, just holding out a little trick.

"I know why. You discovered it. I tried to leave that part of my life behind me. I'm not very proud of my own behavior, you know. We were young and we had our whole life ahead of us. I got scared. Edmund never knew. He graduated from Stanford and returned to his town. Was then when I discovered I was pregnant. I didn't want him to know. I took the full responsibility of the matter, and after the baby was born, I gave her up for adoption. I didn't even want to see her. It's a decision that tormented me through all my life." She paused then staring to the floor.

Laura was noticing how deeply affected Mr. Steele was, so she decided to be the one leading the meeting. "You said you never told him? Even later, through the years?"

"No, I didn't. I didn't give him the chance to participate in the decision, and after the years, I didn't want to make him feel guilty about my mistake, knowing that he had a child, but he'd lost the chance to know her."

"Have you ever tried to find your daughter, Mrs. Becker?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Yes, I tried. But I did it late. She is dead now. I found her three years ago. She died because of a heart disease. I felt guilty of that too, you know?"

"How could you be guilty about somebody's death because of a heart disease?" asked Laura.

"Because her death was as a consequence of a massive heart attack. The same disease as her father. She was only 23 years old when she died."

A silence invaded the room. Then Miss Holt asked her, "Since when do you know Caroline Meyers, Mrs. Becker?"

"I knew her since about three years ago, after Andrea's death. She was her sister."

Miss Holt and Mr. Steele's eyes met for a brief moment. They would have to talk about that later.

"Just a last question. Does your husband know about you, Mr. Pollack, and the baby?" asked Laura.

"My husband knows about the baby, about Andrea, but he doesn't know about Edmund. We remained as good friends until his death. Do you think it could be kept in silence? I don't know if I want Joseph knowing that Edmund was the father of my child."

"Your secret is safe with us," said Miss Holt. "I think that this is all we wanted to know, Mrs. Becker. Thank you for coming." They shook hands, and she left the office, leaving both detectives deep in thought about the facts recently revealed at the office.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Mildred came into Mr. Steele's office, and found them totally immersed in their conversation.

"I brought some coffee. You two have been locked in this room for about two hours. Do you need anything else?" she asked.

Miss Holt stared at her, thinking. "I need you to run a search about Caroline Meyers and Andrea Meyers, Mildred. Try to find everything since they were born."

"It will take a while, Miss Holt. Do you need anything else?"

"Try to find anything about Edmund Pollack. We need information since he left school until the day he died. Look for properties bank accounts, and stock actions too, Mildred."

"Ok, chief. I'm on my way," said Mildred. She left the office, and after making herself a cup of tea, she sat at her desk and started the required search.

"Why do you think it's necessary to investigate Caroline?" asked Mr. Steele to Miss Holt.

"I didn't like the stare that Mrs. Becker and Caroline gave to each other this morning. I feel they know each other very well, and that they would have some hidden differences in the past. Since we have Mrs. Becker's file, the part that we lack is Caroline's, and her sister Andrea." She took a sip of her coffee. "Why do you think it's necessary to investigate Mr. Pollack?"

"As I was deeply impressed about Mrs. Becker's narration, I was wondering why she told her husband almost the whole story, and she hid it from Mr. Pollack. It sounds odd. After all, Mr. Pollack was a friend."

"Maybe she didn't have the courage. But now that you mention it, it sounds odd, indeed."

"What do you say if we go to the Tennis Club and have a nice lunch? I miss spending our lunch time together, Miss Holt," said Mr. Steele.

"Sounds good to me. It'll give us the chance to ask more questions to the waiter there. I have a feeling."

"A feeling about what?" he asked.

"We'll talk about it later, Mr. Steele. I'll ask Mildred to call Fred."

They arrived at the Tennis Club, and went directly to the bar. They found a nice table, and Laura saw the waiter coming towards them. "Good Afternoon. Are you ready to order?" asked the man.

"In a minute," said Laura. "But I would like to ask you something before we give you our order. I remember you told me the other day that you've been working here for a long time. Do you know if Mr. Pollack's daughter used to come here to play tennis?"

"Yes madam. They used to play together, and after that they always shared a table here with Mrs. Becker. She was a nice woman. It was a shame she died too young."

"Thank you," said Laura.

"How did you know that?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Well, it's what I'd call a hunch. I suppose your thought about how odd it was that Mrs. Becker didn't tell the truth to Mr. Pollack aroused my curiosity. If she did tell him, and they did follow a relationship with their daughter, they would need a place to meet with her. What better place than this one, full of people distracted over their own tennis play conversations? They would be able to share with her something else they both loved: sports. Remember that Mrs. Pollack and Mr. Becker are not sport lovers. So, they would feel very free and comfortable here."

"Do you think we have a suspect here, Laura? We don't even have a confirmed murder yet and we have a suspect? God, you are getting more than good every time," he stated with an air of pride.

"_We_, Mr. Steele, we are getting more than good. Remember _we_ are a team."

"Indeed, Miss Holt. Indeed."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

They returned to Century City, and Mildred gave them the previously required files. Once they were settled in Mr. Steele's office, Laura took Andrea´s, while Mr. Steele started with Mr. Pollack's.

After reading some pages, she rose from her chair and went to her office without even saying a word. Mr. Steele was wondering what she had found. She returned with the file of _his_ case in her hands.

"What do you have there, Miss Holt?" he asked.

"I'm trying to concentrate here. Let me think please. I'll tell you later," she answered.

He was starting to get impatient. She was guiding her eyes from one file to the other, again and again.

"Laura…what did you find?" he asked with a warning in his voice.

"It seems that Andrea had a sudden heart attack, and she died before arriving at the hospital. They did an autopsy, and they found that she had a congenital malformation in her heart. She didn't know about that until it was too late. The time between when she had the heart attack and when she was dead was about 30 minutes. The paramedics didn't have any chance. Then, I remembered the case you are working on with Caroline. You were finding some clues there about someone poisoned with oleander nectar. The poison is a cardiac stimulator that causes sweating, unconsciousness, respiratory paralysis and death. It begins reacting immediately. The time between the victim's ingestion of the poison and death is almost the same, and the symptoms are similar too."

"But you've just said that the autopsy information says that Andrea died because of a congenital malformation in her heart. What makes you think about the poison theory?"

"Because, Mr. Steele, I wasn't thinking about that theory in Andrea's death. Something made me think about it for Mr. Pollack's death."

"I'm afraid about questioning, Miss Holt, as I have his file in my hands and I can't find the connection yet," he said.

"When I read Mr. Pollack's medical file, I found that they did some tests to know if he had some kind of drug in his blood, and they were negative. But in your case, you've said that oleander can be traced only if you look for it in the victim's stomach. So, if you look in Mr. Pollack's file, you will see that they didn't take a sample from his stomach, because after his daughter's death, they knew that he had a congenital malformation, and he was under treatment there. They focused on his heart, not looking for a different cause of death in another organ."

"And the supposed killer would have that information, so it was easy to hide the poison behind his illness. I'm getting to your point, Laura. But now I'm getting terrified, too. If your assumptions are right, we have two suspects instead of one."

"I am afraid we do." She pushed the intercom button, "Mildred, get Mrs. Pollack on the phone, please."

"What are you going to tell her?" asked Mr. Steele.

"I'm going to ask her to have a talk with her lawyer, and to try to get an order for a new autopsy. I think there are some items to review about the death certificate."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

They left Century City, and once in the car, Mr. Steele was having doubts about asking Laura where they were going. She seemed so focused on the case, that she didn't tell him their destination. Once she decreased the speed, he allowed himself to make a comment. "Is the City library our final destination?"

"Yes, it is. You came here to follow the investigations about your case, didn't you?"

"Yes, Caroline told me that there were a lot of books with poisoning information there, in fact."

"That's my point, Mr. Steele. We are on the same wavelength. Let's go."

He got out of the car a little worried. Laura was in full bulldog mode. She was always in overdrive once she smelled the end of the case near them.

They found the information she was looking for as they guessed, and left the building half an hour later.

They decided to make a visit to Caroline, then. Since the traces they were following were similar to the ones Mr. Steele followed with Miss. Meyers in their school case, they were suspecting it would be possible a connection between both cases.

They got out of the Rabbit, and when they were approaching towards the front door, Laura turned back to Mr. Steele. "Look at that," she said showing him an oleander plant near the porch. "It seems that Caroline really knew something about oleanders after all."

"I am feeling more uncomfortable at every minute, Miss Holt," he answered.

He rang the bell, and after a brief wait, Miss Meyers opened the door. The only person she saw was Mr. Steele, so she greeted him with a touch of style, "Well, hello Remington. You came, at least. I was starting to think that your show at your office was not a show, but a reality. Come in, please."

Just at that moment, Laura, who was leaning her back on the wall beside the door, not in Caroline's sight, turned towards the door, to make herself visible to her. "Good afternoon, Miss Meyers. What a pleasure to find you at home. Should I come in too?"

Trying to bounce back fast from her slipping, she answered, "Of course, Miss Holt. I didn't realize you were standing there. Please come in, too."

Once inside Caroline's house, they made themselves comfortable and she offered them something to drink.

"I think I'd like a bourbon, if you have," said a nervous Mr. Steele. He was feeling there was a battle ahead of them between Laura and Caroline, and he would be the one in the middle to act as a referee.

"I'd like some water, please," said Laura. She was ready to start the game, making the first shot.

"I see you are well trained in the poisons field, Caroline," said Laura.

"Well, I've been learning a lot about that in forensics. Didn't Remington tell you how interesting that class was?" she answered.

"He told me a few words about it. Where did you find the books to study the topic?" asked Laura.

Mr. Steele was drinking his bourbon like water at that point. He was feeling the bullets flying closer every second.

"I borrowed them from the city library. Why are you asking me those things? I think you are not talking about our school case."

"No I'm not. When did you know Mrs. Becker, Caroline?"

"I see. We are going to talk about that. I knew her since three years ago. My sister Andrea and I were adopted when we were kids. We lived a great life, with our parents always taking care of us, and giving us a lot of love. About three years ago, Joan Becker appeared in our lives. She told Andrea that she was her biological mother, and that she had been looking for her through all her life. My sister was an incredible person, Miss Holt. She didn't care about the fact that her real mother abandoned her as a baby. She forgave her, and started a loving relationship with Joan. But when Andrea died, the doctors said that she could have saved her life if she would have known about her heart condition. Joan was aware about Mr. Pollack's heart condition, and that it was inheritable, and she didn't open her mouth. I'll never forgive her for that. Maybe with a couple of tests, Andrea's luck would have been different."

"Why did you decided to poison Mr. Pollack, Caroline?" asked Laura in an almost icy tone.

"What? What are you implying? Are you crazy? I didn't poison anyone! I'm not a criminal!"

"You have an oleander plant in your front garden, and you have the knowledge, and you borrowed a book from the library, with the whole explanation about every kind of poisonous plants that grow here in California," said Mr. Steele, setting himself in Laura's team.

"I did borrow a book from the library, but I returned it after a week. I've lost my library card some months ago, and I haven't asked for a new one yet."

"Why didn't you ask for another card yet?"

"Because I didn't need it," answered Caroline.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

They were sitting in the Rabbit each one immersed in their own thoughts.

"If Caroline didn't poison Mr. Pollack, the only one left is Mrs. Becker. But she seemed deeply sorrowful when she came to the office. She talked about Mr. Pollack lovingly…" said Mr. Steele.

"That's it!" said Laura.

"What's it?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Remember when Mrs. Becker came to our office, and told us about her and Mr. Pollack?"

"Yes, I remember. She told us that she discovered she was pregnant once he left Stanford, and that she never told him about the baby… You are a genius Laura!"

"She did tell him about the baby, because when she found Andrea they used to play tennis together at the club. I think we have to ask some questions to Mrs. Joan Becker, Mr. Steele."

"Let's wait to see what happens with the autopsy results, Laura," he said.

"You are right. Maybe we could talk first with the forensic doctor, to see if he found something different in the new authopsy."

They returned to the hospital, and talked with Dr. Linley again. He told them that they were right about their presumptions, and that there were traces of oleander in Edmund Pollack's stomach.

"Bingo!" said Laura. "Let's call Mildred at the office and make a visit to Mrs. Becker. I think we have a talk to finish with her."

They talked with Mildred, and she gave them Mrs. Becker's address.

"Miss Holt, Mr. Steele, I wasn't expecting you today. I don't have enough time now, maybe we could talk another time," said Joan.

"I think we have to talk now, Mrs. Becker. We should come in," warned Mr. Steele.

They got inside the house, and once there, Laura opened fire. "Why did you tell us that Edmund Pollack didn't know anything about his daughter, Mrs. Becker?"

"Because he didn't," she answered starting to look angry.

"That's not the true, Mrs. Becker. He did know, and he was in touch with his daughter. We know you played tennis with Andrea and Edmund every week," said Miss Holt.

"How do you know that? Aww, you, stupid detectives…She told you that, did she?"

"I don't know who are you talking about, Joan," said a calm Laura.

"Caroline! She is playing detective with you two. She was jealous that Andrea found her parents and she didn't. She is trying to incriminate me in Edmund's death because she hates me!"

"I don't think she would be trying anything. I think you are the one trying to hide something, Mrs. Becker," said Steele.

"Why did you steal Caroline's library card from her purse, Mrs. Becker?" asked Laura.

"I didn't steal anything from Caroline."

"Maybe you could let us take a look through you books, Mrs. Becker?" asked Steele

"I don't have to let you see anything. You have no right…"

"Why did you poison Edmund's iced tea?" asked Laura.

There was a frosty silence in the room. Then Mrs. Becker answered totally furious, "I loved Edmund. I loved him very much…until he pushed me to make the biggest mistake of my life. He didn't want the baby! I wasn't going to give her up for adoption, but he forced me! I missed all my life with my daughter thanks to him. I was going to forgive him after we'd found her, but then she died because of his damned disease! He was to blame! She didn't deserve to die! He was the one that deserved death!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After a long wait at the office for Mr. Steele, Laura finally decided to go home. She would wait for him at the loft, because the student's list was large and the examination was longer than she thought it would be.

She was too nervous, and every activity to distract her seemed fated to fail. She tried reading, watching TV, and even making an attempt with dinner. But nothing worked. After 2 hours, she heard a knock on the door. She was in her bedroom, and crossing the loft in almost two steps she opened the door and found him standing there; his shirt opened showing a t-shirt with an interesting statement, his hands behind his back, and a huge smile all over his face.

"I thought I'd find you here, Laura," he told her.

"How did it go?" asked Laura anxiously.

He gave her his best crooked smile, put out his right hand that was behind his back, and showed her a box of chocolates. "I assumed you were going to be interested in this….to start with the celebration."

She smiled at him, and then he showed his other hand. "Or maybe you would be interested in this…" and he gave her his diploma.

"You did it!" she told him, and jumped in his arms with all the joy that someone could feel when their loved one is living one of the happiest moments of their life.

"_We_ did it," He told her. "If your idea of a fictional boss had not existed, I wouldn't be here with this diploma. _We_ did it, Laura." They were entranced with each other when he ended his words. He came into her loft, and without taking his eyes from her, closed the door behind him. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her body against him. Then he stopped…

"Are you going to kiss me, mister detective?" asked Laura.

"I am going to kiss, you, lady detective. And as I am a detective now, I am going to do it with detail…" he wiggled his eyes to her.

"I knew you were fated to be a good detective since the first day I met you. Are you ready to start working on the details, Mr. Steele?" asked a mischievous Laura.

"We have an entire night ahead of us to work on those details, Miss Holt. I am ready to start, indeed."

"I bet you are, Mr. Steele, I bet you are…"


End file.
